Download Squirrel Glider Facts

Squirrel Glider:
icon threatened species
Scientific name: Petaurus norfolcensis
Other common names:
Flying Squirrel, Sugar Squirrel, Squirrel Flying Phalanger
Conservation status:
Vulnerable in NSW
How do I recognise it?
tapering tail (not demarcated at the
base and/or cylindrical like the Sugar
Glider). The Squirrel Glider never
has a white-tip to the tail found in
some Sugar Gliders.
riparian woodlands. Key habitat
requirements include; abundant tree
hollows for refuge and nesting, areas
with more than one eucalypt species
and/or an understorey of wattles.
Where does it live?
What does it eat?
The Squirrel Glider is an arboreal
(tree-dwelling) mammal of eastern
Australia. Resting during the day
in cup-shaped, leaf-lined nests in
tree hollows, they emerge at night
to forage in tree and understorey
canopies almost never coming to
the ground. Within the Border
Rivers-Gwydir Catchment it prefers
open forests and woodlands of the
northern tablelands and western
slopes, especially box-ironbark and
Squirrel Gliders principally feed on;
The Squirrel Glider is a mediumsized (40-53cm) nocturnal, gliding
possum. Blue-grey to brown-grey
above, with a white belly and a black
stripe that runs from between the
eyes down its back. The Squirrel
Glider has a long bushy tail which is
sometimes black-tipped. Both sexes
are similar in appearance.
(Photo: P Spark / North West Ecological Services)
Within the Border RiversGwydir Catchment, this species
may be confused with the much
smaller (31-41cm), but similarly
coloured, Sugar Glider (Petaurus
brevipes). The Squirrel Glider is
distinguished however, by its larger
size (approximately twice that of
the Sugar Glider), its longer more
pointed face and broad, fluffy,
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Invertebrates (beetles and their
larvae, moths, caterpillars,
cicadas and grasshoppers),
Sugary exudates from insects,
Sap, gum, pollen and nectar
of eucalypts, wattles and/or
banksias
Seeds and fruit
Small roosting birds, eggs and
mice are occasionally eaten.
Squirrel Gliders inhabit Grassy Box Woodlands with abundant hollows (Photo: W Hawes)
Factsheet 11
Important nectar producing trees within the Border
Rivers/Gwydir Catchment include: Yellow Box
(Eucalyptus melliodora), White Box (Eucalyptus albens),
Grey Box (Eucalyptus moluccana), Mugga Ironbark
(Eucalyptus sideroxylon) and Blakely’s Red Gum
(Eucalyptus blakelyi).
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Why is it threatened?
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The Squirrel Glider was once widespread but sparsely
distributed up the east coast from western Vic through
NSW to northern Qld, occurring inland as far as the
Grampians in Vic and Pilliga in NSW. Its population
is currently in decline and its distribution extremely
patchy as result of clearing for agriculture and/or urban
development. What habitat remains is highly fragmented
and continues to be degraded by; inappropriate grazing,
logging activities, clearing regrowth and understorey,
inappropriate fire-regimes and removal of larger trees
for fenceposts and firewood.
Squirrel Gliders can get caught on barbed wire
(Photo: P Spark / North West Ecological Services)
Loss and fragmentation of habitat removes mature
and old growth trees, depriving the Squirrel Gliders
of important food resources and nesting sites. It also
limits the Squirrel Glider’s ability to move across the
landscape and makes it more susceptible to predation
by foxes and cats.
Why is our catchment important?
The Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment area supports
significant tracts of open forest and woodland habitat,
such as the Box-Ironbark Woodlands, essential to the
long-term survival of the Squirrel Glider.
What can I do?
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Retain and improve stands of remnant bushland.
Control grazing within remnants to encourage
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regeneration of trees and understorey shrubs
(including wattles).
Maintain a range of tree age classes within remnant
areas.
Avoid removing hollow bearing trees and larger
trees from remnants.
Connect isolated habitat patches by planting
corridors of local native plant species a minimum
of 50m wide.
Control foxes and feral cats in remnant areas.
Desex domestic cats and keep indoors at night.
Regulate burning activities to ensure habitat
elements are retained in remnant areas.
Report all sightings of the Squirrel Glider to
the Department of Environment and Climate
Change.
But wait there’s more...
By protecting and improving habitat for the Squirrel
Glider, you will also be protecting and improving habitat
for a whole suite of other threatened and declining plants
and animals dependent upon hollow bearing trees and
forest/woodland ecosystems. These species include:
Painted Honeyeater, Brown Treecreeper, Diamond
Firetail, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Turquoise Parrot,
Swift Parrot, Hooded Robin, Koala, Little Pied Bat,
Greater Long-eared Bat, Pale-headed Snake, and not
forgetting the Grassy Box Woodlands themselves.
References
Ayers D, Nash S and Baggett K (1996) Threatened Species of
Western New South Wales. NSW NPWS, Hurstville, NSW.
Creamer H (1999) A Landholders Guide to Threatened Species – Tips
for saving threatened species in New England. NPWS publication.
NSW NPWS (2003) Threatened Species of the New England
Tablelands and North West Slopes of New South Wales. NPWS, Coffs
Harbour, NSW.
NSW NPWS (1999) Threatened Species Management – Species
Information. Hurstville, NSW.
Strahan R (1983) The Australian Museum - Complete Book of
Australian Mammals. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.
Contact Us
PO Box 411 Inverell NSW 2360
T: 02 6721 9810 F: 02 6721 9898
www.brg.cma.nsw.gov.au